David Bridges
Fidias Panayiotou, a YouTuber from Cyprus recognised for uncommon stunts, has been elected to the European Parliament, according to the Cyprus Mail on Monday. The 24-12 months-earlier secured third location in his election with 19.four% of the vote, as reported by the BBC, which ordinarily implies he’ll turn out to be a single of the six Members of the European Parliament to stand for Cyprus.
Panayiotou has more than two.six million subscribers on YouTube, in which he posts stunt films like acquiring buried alive in a coffin for ten instances and paying ten instances donning a VR headset. One particular far more well-liked film from 2023 shows Panayiotou flying to Texas to satisfy (and hug) his hero, Elon Musk, at SpaceX. The YouTuber’s film hugging Mr. Beast has in excess of 15 million sights.
Panayiotou seems to be acquiring thrilling on his YouTube channel with some outrageous stunts, but he was pressured to apologize incredibly final year just soon after producing an try to travel all through Japan by educate with out getting to spend.
Panayiotou has no former political functioning encounter and reportedly hardly ever voted prior to this year’s election. Nearby media in Cyprus spoke with an elections pro in the spot who well-known the social media star’s victory was historic, if only considering that it was so strange in quite a few respects.
“This is maybe the 1st time a entirely independent applicant has been elected, without having owning any relation whatsoever with a political bash, but with social media as his only weapon, and totally absolutely nothing else,” Yiannis Mavris is quoted as stating by the Cyprus Mail.
Youthful people have been a substantial section of the YouTuber’s election to the European Parliament. Panayiotou received 40% of the votes from voters aged 18-24, according to the BBC, and 28% of votes from folks aged 25-34, serving to him protected a seat. Turnout in Cyprus was about 59%, up from just 45% in 2019, and the BBC credits Panayiotou with the significant uptick.
It will surely be intriguing to see if any comparatively apolitical YouTubers attempt out to comply with in Panayiotou’s footsteps in the United States. There is been speculation in the previous that Mr. Beast (actual determine Jimmy Donaldson) may well possibly be intrigued in operating for president in the upcoming. When Donaldson was asked quickly about it back in 2022 he just just stated “We’ll see” and “Maybe in like 20 years.”
Will persons be voting for Mr. Beast to turn into president in 2040? Weirder components have occurred, certainly, like the election of a neo-fascist actuality Television set star who’s at this time jogging neck-and-neck in the polls with Joe Biden to grow to be president as soon as far more. Essentially, quite a few Americans would in all probability take into account a Beast presidency preferable to the present U.S. political landscape. Even if he levels a bizarre Saw-like recreation just about every single evening time for his have amusement.
Daniel Mercer
Brandon Fletcher
